1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lever-type connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known lever-type connector is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-126379. The connector has a housing with opposite outer side surfaces and supporting shafts that project from the outer side surfaces. The connector also has a lever with an operable portion and a pair of arms that project from the opposite ends of the operable portion. Bearing holes extend through the arms and cam grooves are formed in the inner surfaces of the arms. The lever is supported rotatably on the housing by causing the arms to face the outer side surfaces of the housing and engaging the bearing holes with the supporting shafts on the outer side surfaces of the housing.
The operable portion of the lever faces an outer side surface of the housing when the lever is at an initial position. However, the operable portion is displaced toward the back surface of the connector housing as the lever is rotated from the initial position toward a connection position.
This lever-type connector is connected with a mating connector by holding the lever at the initial position so that entrances of cam grooves open toward the mating connector. Cam pins of the mating connector are inserted into the cam grooves and then the lever is rotated toward the connection position. Thus, the mating connector is pulled into and connected with the lever-type connector by a cam action between the cam grooves and pins.
Forces generated between the cam pins and the cam grooves during connection tend to move the arms wider apart and away from the outer side surfaces of the housing. As the arms are displaced wider apart, the bearing holes are displaced from the base ends of the supporting shafts toward the projecting ends thereof and in a direction to be disengaged from the supporting shafts. Therefore, there is a possibility of reducing the reliability of a bearing hole supporting function by the supporting shafts.
Displacement of the operable portion toward the back surface of the connector housing can create a problem. In particular, wires are drawn out through the back surface of the housing and could interfere with the lever. Thus, the connector must have a wire cover that covers the back surface of the housing and the wires. As a result, the wires extend laterally substantially parallel with the back surface of the housing in the wire cover to avoid the interference with the operable portion. The wire cover increases the number of parts and complicates assembly. A lever-type connector with a wire cover is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 5-8882.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to improve the operability of a lever-type connector.
The invention relates to a lever-type connector that has a housing with opposite outer side surfaces. The connector also has a lever with an operable portion and arms that project from opposite ends of the operable portion. The lever is supported rotatably on the housing by causing the arms to face the outer side surfaces of the housing. Bearing holes formed in the arms or the housing then are engaged with supporting shafts in the other of the arms and the housing. A mating connector can be pulled into the housing and connected therewith by a cam action of a cam mechanism when the lever is rotated. The supporting shafts project in from the inner side surfaces of supporting walls on the housing to at least partly face the outer side surfaces of the arms. Accordingly, the reliability of a lever supporting function is secured even if the arms try to move apart due to the engagement of cam pins and cam grooves.
Cam pins may project from outer side surfaces of the mating connector and may engage with cam grooves in the inner side surfaces of the arms. Thus, the mating connector is pulled into the housing and connected therewith by the cam action of the cam grooves and the cam pins as the lever is rotated.
The bearing holes preferably are formed in the arms of the lever and the supporting shafts preferably project in from the inner side surfaces of the supporting walls on the housing to face the outer side surfaces of the arms. The arms may try to move wider apart when the cam pins engage the cam grooves, and the bearing holes may displace from the projecting ends of the supporting shafts toward the base ends thereof. However, such displacements do not reduce engaging areas of the bearing holes with the supporting shafts, and the supporting function of the bearing holes by the supporting shafts is not reduced.
The outer side surfaces of the arms preferably are substantially in contact with the inner side surfaces of the supporting walls. Thus, forces that would move the arms wider apart when the cam pins engage the cam grooves cause no significant widening displacement of the arms.
A slanted guide surface is formed in the outer side surface of each arm and is inclined to thin the arm gradually from the edge of the bearing hole toward the outer periphery of the arm. The supporting shafts face the slanted guide surfaces when the bearing holes engage the supporting shafts. Thus, interference of the outer peripheries of the arms with the supporting shafts can be avoided. As a result, an assembling operability becomes better.
The slanted guide portion preferably has a trapezoidal shape by gradually widening a width thereof from the bearing holes toward the outer peripheries of the arms.
The housing may have one or more wires drawn out through a back surface thereof. The lever may be mounted on the housing for rotation about the free ends of the arms between an initial position and a connection position. The lever may be at or near the initial position when the lever-type connector is to be connected with a mating connector, and is rotated toward the connection position to pull the mating connector toward the lever-type connector by the cam mechanism. The operable portion of the lever is at a position corresponding to a peripheral edge of the back surface of the housing and inside an outer side surface of the housing when the lever is at the initial position. The lever then is rotated from the initial position to the connection position so that the operable portion is displaced toward a front surface along the outer side surface of the housing. Thus, interference between the operable portion and the wires drawn out through the back surface of the housing can be avoided. Accordingly, a wire cover is not needed for bending the wires drawn out through the back surface of the housing in lateral direction, and the number of parts can be reduced.
The operable portion is inside the outer side surface of the housing and at a position along the wires without projecting above the outer side surface of the housing when the lever is at the initial position. Thus, the lever-type connectors can be transported in a bag with the levers at the initial position, and there is no danger that another connector could catch the operable portion and rotate the lever toward the connection position.
The housing and/or the lever may comprise engageable locking means for holding the lever at the connection position. Accordingly, the lever can be held at the connection position even when the lever-type connector is not connected with the mating connector.
The operable portion preferably is behind the front surface of the housing and corresponding to the outer side surface of the housing with the lever at the connection position. Thus, an angle of rotation between the initial position and the connection position of the lever is small as compared to a case where the operable portion is before the front surface of the housing.
The operable portion preferably is along the outer side surface of the housing with the lever at the connection position. Accordingly, the operable portion is near the outer side surface of the housing, and the connector is small as compared to a case where the operable portion is spaced far from the outer side surface of the housing with the lever at the connection position.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.